I never really liked milk. Just like with meat, my mom used to always struggle to get me to drink it every night at dinner. For a while, Chocolate Quik did the trick--I'd stir a few heaping tablespoons into my glass and happily drink it because it tasted more like chocolate than like milk. And then, I moved onto Banana Quik, the most delicious powdered drink mix to ever grace our dinner table. (When I Googled it for this post to make sure I wasn't misremembering the brand name, I found a petition to bring back Banana Quik--this is democracy in action, people.) But when I reached my pre-teen years, I decided to stop drinking milk altogether. This made my mom freak out because now, not only did I not eat meat, but I didn't drink milk either. I would stunt my growth! Terrible things would happen! So she started making pudding.
Lots of pudding.
This worked out quite well for me. Instead of having to drink milk, I had to eat my pudding. That? I could do. I was happy because: pudding. My mom was happy because I was getting my milk. It was a win-win situation.
So the whole tricking-kids-into-eating-things-they-hate thing is clearly nothing new, but it sure is popular lately, isn't it? There are websites and cookbooks all about how to sneak veggies into foods that kids love, like mac & cheese and popsicles. And it's not just for kids either--isn't throwing a handful of spinach into a smoothie the adult equivalent of sneaky food?
Personally, I love kale, but I know a lot of people are put off by it. These Blueberry Kale Pops from Kale: The Complete Guide to the World's Most Powerful Superfood
are a sneaky way to incorporate kale into a tasty frozen treat. Now, if you know there's kale in them, I think you can detect the flavor--just a hint of it, though, kind of like when you make a green smoothie. But if you didn't know that before trying them, you'd never suspect it. The secret is to use baby kale leaves, which are a bit milder than their full-grown counterpart.
As you might suspect based on the title, Kale is full of kale recipes, both sneaky and not-so-sneaky. From Kale Brownies to Kale Quinoa Salad, this is the book for all things kale. In addition to this recipe, I also tried the Kale and Spinach Dip tossed with pasta, which was garlicky and delicious. The book isn't vegetarian, but many of the recipes are. And some of the non-vegetarian recipes are easily adaptable too. (Chorizo Kale Hash Browns, I'm looking at you!)
The blueberry flavor of these pops really masks the kale well-and blueberries are another superfood! If you're craving pure blueberry deliciousness without the kale, you can always whip up a batch of this easy blueberry mousse instead.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. frozen blueberries
- 1 c. baby kale leaves
- 2 c. organic purple grape juice
Christie - Food Done Light says
This is an absolutely genius idea. What a great way to get some hidden greens in my daughter. I have to try it. Adding kale to my grocery list.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Yummy! Love sneaking veggies into popsicles and smoothies! Kale is a great source of vitamin 🙂
melissa @ my whole food life says
These look great! I am always sneaking kale into my kids smoothies. Now I am totally going to try in the pop molds! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Natalie says
So amazing! I just bought some popsicle molds the other day so I cant wait to start making summer popsicles.
Caroline says
I LOVE this idea! I make a lot of green smoothies and try to convince people that you really can't taste the green past all of the other great flavors! I need to make these! I love kale too!
Kiersten says
I finally convinced my husband and now he even makes green smoothies for himself. 🙂 You really can't taste the greens if you do it right!
Angie says
I am growing Kale and want to somehow freeze for winter. Any suggestions? Should I puree for smoothies?
Kiersten says
I haven't tried freezing kale myself, but here's a link on how to freeze greens (including kale):
http://www.pickyourown.org/freezing_greens.htm
Ivy says
I love blueberries. I love kale too. They are both wonderful food. I never imagined putting the two together though. I will try when I have a chance. Where can I get baby kale? The ones I see in the supermarkets and in the farmers' market are already mature. I am not sure where organic purple grape juice is sold either. It is been a long time for me not eating ice lollies. I miss the ones I had at home.
Kiersten says
You can just use regular grape juice--the book the recipe is republished from called for organic, but non-organic will work just fine. 🙂 As for the baby kale, I found it sold in the refrigerated case with bagged salad greens and spinach.
Brenda Williams says
This is a great idea for little kids and big kids too. I love it when you make pops...
Carolyn says
Hi Kiersten...okay if I include these in a healthy popsicle round up? I will just do photos with links, of course...
Kiersten says
Yes, definitely! THanks for the link. 🙂
Joey says
These look great! Do you think I can substitute spinach for kale??
Kiersten says
I haven't tried it myself, but I bet it would work just fine!
Denise says
Does it matter which variety of Kale you use in these re eipes?
Kiersten Frase says
You can use different types of kale, but they'll have more of a kale flavor. Baby kale is milder, so you don't taste it as much.